Memoirs of a Geisha Resources

Arthur Golden doesn't have a website, but he has a Facebook, where he occasionally posts something geisha-related.

Mineko Iwasaki, the inspiration for the novel, inspired this website, which alleges to have true facts about geisha.

Ebert praised the film's beauty, but criticized its lack of substance. To him, the film is all makeup with no real geisha beneath.

Sometimes you have to go back to go forward. Arthur Golden says he threw two drafts away before meeting the inspiration for Memoirs of a Geisha, and having to start all over.

Mineko Iwasaki says the story of mizuage is "patently untrue."

In 2002, NBC capitalized on the popularity of…er…aired a TV interview with Mineko Iwasaki called "The Secret Life of Geisha."

It's difficult, if not impossible, to describe dance in text, which might be why Golden doesn't really attempt to. To better picture Sayuri's dancing, try this scene from the film.

Kyoto may have changed, but people's fascination with geisha remains the same. Now people film geisha walking around and post the videos to YouTube.

This could be what a teahouse sounds like, with the strings of the Japanese guitar, the shamisen, being plucked in the background.

It must have taken a while for Arthur Golden to find someone else to tell him their story. We kid, we kid. But he still hasn't released another book. In this interview, he talks about Geisha and a new novel, which, as of 2016, still hasn't been published.

The takamakura is a really uncomfortable-looking pillow that a geisha must sleep on to protect her hairstyle. We'd rather shave our head.

Chiyo describes her smile as being like a Noh mask. Is that a good thing? Yes or Noh?

The geisha shoes, called okobo, look only slightly more comfortable than that pillow.

Here is the intricate geisha "split peach" hairstyle, called momoware. No, you can't eat it.

This is the suggestive ekubo cake, which Sayuri presents when it is time for her mizuage.